Fontevraud village

Fontevraud boasts the largest abbey complex in Europe nestled at the heart of the Unesco World Heritage.

Its founder, Robert d'Arbrissel was a a pioneering monk devoted to prayers and poverty.

Around 1100 he founded what was to become one of the wealthiest and most impressive monastic settlements of the Christian West. With its 45 hectares and three priories, the community was run for 700 years by nuns under the protection of the king.

36 abbesses, half of royal blood, headed a mixed Fontevrist order from 1115 to 1792. The four youngest daughters of Louis XV were educated in the Abbey. In 1804, Napoleon decided to transform the building into a prison. It remained as such until 1963.

In 1975 the Cultural Centre of Western Loire was created with the intention of promoting cultural activities in the abbey. The Abbey welcomes over 200 000 visitors each year.

Grand Moutier cloister, Chapter house and kitchens

The Abbey church is the final resting place of Henri II Plantagenêt, King of England, his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, his son Richard I and the wife of his other son King John, Isabella of Angoulême.

Fontevraud is a friendly and relaxed village where its inhabitants are happy to share with you the French country life with the gentle flow of the Loire river, beautiful landscapes and still active troglodytic villages.

Local crafts, Town hall, Lantern of the dead,
Abbey cloisters, St Catherine's alley, Place du 8 mai